Mexican Pride, Culture on Parade in Oxnard

Teresa Cortez was having trouble Saturday hearing Mexico’s cry for independence.

A modern-day Miguel Hidalgo, the Mexican priest who in 1810 urged his countrymen to rise up and seek independence from Spanish rule, was at the helm of a parade float that sliced through downtown Oxnard as part of the city’s celebration of the cry for Mexican independence.

“Viva Mexico!” the priest exhorted.

“Viva!” parade watchers shouted back as if rehearsed.

But for Cortez, an Oxnard resident and mother of three, the cry for independence was drowned out by the cries of her youngest son, 4-year-old Humberto, who had had enough parade and was ready to hit the carnival.

“Just a little bit longer, let’s just watch a little bit more,” she urged, almost pleaded, in Spanish before giving in. “I don’t know whether I will ever be able to see the whole parade again.”

Police said more than 2,000 people saw the parade as it made its way up 6th Street to Plaza Park in downtown Oxnard. There were marching bands and mariachis. And parade floats and politicians.

But the streets belonged to the children on Saturday.

A group of boys, wearing large hats and Mexican caballero attire, expertly jumped through leather lassos as easily as schoolchildren jumping rope. And a young dance troupe, Grupo Folklorico Mixteca, wowed those who lined the parade route with the colorful outfits and fancy footwork that accompany the Mexican ballet.

“We felt that we would help give back to our culture through song and dance,” said Oxnard resident Marta Mata, who along with her husband, Hector, four years ago founded the only folklorico dance group for children in Ventura County. “We felt there was a need in this community to promote good self-esteem in our children.”

The parade opened Las Fiestas Patrias 92, a three-day celebration of Mexican Independence Day sponsored by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Ventura County. The annual parade and festival draw thousands of people from across the county and feature a variety of Mexican food and carnival rides and games.

The fiesta continues today at Plaza Park, takes Monday off, and concludes Tuesday with the re-enactment of the cry for independence at the Juanita School cafeteria, 224 N. Juanita St.

This year’s parade was heavily weighted with political campaigning.

Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley), three-term representative of the 23rd Congressional District, rode in the parade, as did his Democratic challenger, Anita Perez Ferguson. Oxnard Mayor Nao Takasugi, the Republican candidate in the 37th Assembly race, paraded as did his opponent, Democratic nominee Roz McGrath.

Oxnard mayoral candidate Manuel Lopez rode a red fire engine; opponent Michael Plisky rode a trailer stacked with hay bales and pulled by a large tractor.

Some festival-goers were put off by the politicking.

“I think they (the politicians) should do that on their own time and not come and spoil our party,” said Oxnard resident Rose Reyes.

After the parade, taco stands and snow-cone booths catered to hot and hungry festival-goers. Los Quatro Hermanos food stand--named after Martin, Enrique, Benjamin and Francisco Cabrelas from Oxnard’s La Colonia district--served up tacos and tortas , even though two women handled most of the cooking chores.

In fact, only Benjamin Cabrelas was on hand Saturday afternoon, and the only thing he served was cold drinks.

“We used to run a catering service,” he explained, as his mother, Magdalena, served a rich meat sauce into a fried tortilla shell. “I still like the name. I think we’re going to keep it.”